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Missed majority of 2005-06 due to back (October 15, 2005 at San Jose) and ankle (January 8, 2006 vs. Nashville) injuries. Traded to Carolina by Chicago for Andrew Ladd, February 26, 2008. Missed majority of 2012-13 due to recurring hip injury and resulting surgery, January 18, 2013. Traded to New Jersey by Carolina for Andrei Loktionov and future considerations, March 5, 2014.

PLAYER BIO

PERSONAL
Tuomo and his wife, Emilia, have a one-year-old daughter… Tuomo is involved with the children’s organization Plan International… Tuomo’s brother, Jarkko, plays for Jokerit in Finland, and his cousin, Hanno Möttölä, played basketball at the University of Utah and in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks… Tuomo’s first youth team was Vantaa EVU, when he was 5 years old, and his favorite player growing up was Mario Lemieux… He says his “whole family” had the biggest impact on his career… Tuomo also played soccer and ran long-distance events in track and field growing up… He speaks English, Finnish, Swedish and some German and says his favorite vacation spots are Norway and Iceland… Tuomo collects CDs of 1980s hair bands and says his favorite movie is Dances with Wolves… His favorite meal is the traditional Finnish meal of reindeer and mashed potatoes… Tuomo enjoys the novels of Paulo Coelho and his biggest talent outside of hockey is soccer… The person he would most like to meet is Nelson Mandela… His favorite holiday is Christmas and his first job was in retail at a clothing store… He wears the number 15 because it was his number with the Finnish national team… His most memorable goal was his score in the final of the World Cup of Hockey against Canada and his most memorable hockey moment was winning the 2011 II HF World Championship with Finland… His all-time favorite teammate is his brother and his favorite thing about playing professional hockey is spending time with his teammates… Tuomu’s favorite website is yle.fi and his favorite restaurant in the Triangle is Sitti… His favorite road city is Montreal, favorite road arena is Bell Centre in Montreal and favorite team to play against is Montreal.

2012-13 SEASON
Completed his ninth NHL season and sixth with the Hurricanes, appearing in just 17 games… Totaled four goals and five assists (9 points) and eight penalty minutes… Missed the first 29 games of the season while recovering from hip surgery… Made his season debut vs. NJ (3/21)… Earned his first point of the season and 300th career NHL point with an assist on Jordan Staal’s third-period goal at TOR (3/28)… Earned a pair of helpers at WPG (3/30)… Fired a season-high four shots on net vs. TB (4/4)… Registered a season-high seven hits vs. NYR (4/6)… Scored two goals at WPG (4/18)… Earned his 200th Hurricanes point with a goal at PIT (4/27)… Earned five points in the last six games of the season (4/18-4/27: 4g, 1a)… Games missed due to injury: 31 (hip: 1/19-3/19; lower-body: 4/1-4/2)… Longest goal streak: 2 games (4/25-4/27: 2g, 0a)… Longest assist streak: 2 games (3/28- 3/30: 0g, 3a)… Longest point streak: 3 games (4/23-4/27: 2g, 1a)… Multigoal games: 1 (4/18 at WPG: 2g, 0a)… Multi-assist games: 1 (3/30 at WPG: 0g, 2a)… Multi-point games: 2 (last: 4/18 at WPG: 2g, 0a).

CAREERIs in his 10th NHL season and seventh with Carolina… Agreed to a four-year contract with the Hurricanes on 2/22/12 that runs through the 2015-16 season… Has represented Finland at 10 major international tournaments, including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, when Finland earned bronze… Served as an assistant captain and led his team in scoring, helping Finland capture a bronze medal at the 2000 Under-18 World Junior Championship… Won a silver medal at the 2001 Under-20 World Junior Championship and a bronze at the 2002 Under-20 World Junior Championship… Served as team captain at the 2003 Under-20 World Junior Championship and led the tournament in scoring (10 points), helping Finland capture the bronze medal… Represented Finland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, as well as the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 II HF World Championships… Was third among all skaters in goals (6) at the 2011 World Championship, leading Finland to the gold medal.

1999-00: Spent the majority of the season with HIFK Helsinki’s Under-20 team in the Finnish Junior League, recording 11 goals and 16 assists (27 points) in 35 regular-season games… Played in one game with HIFK Helsinki of the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga).

2000-01: Was the youngest player in the Finnish Elite League, recording 11 goals and 11 assists (22 points) in 47 games for Jokerit… Appeared in five playoff games for Jokerit before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

2001-02: Totaled 23 points (7g, 16a) in 51 games with Jokerit… Served as an assistant captain… Played in 10 postseason contests, tallying six assists and registering 29 penalty minutes in helping Jokerit capture the SM-Liiga Championship… Selected as The Hockey News No. 1 NHL-affiliated prospect in the world in 2002 by a panel of NHL executives in the publication’s 14th Annual Future Watch edition.

2002-03: Skated in 30 games for HIFK Helsinki of the Finnish Elite League, totaling 27 points (12g, 15a) and 24 penalty minutes… Suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-January… Named by The Hockey News as the top player in the world not playing in the NHL during the 2002-03 season.

2003-04: Played his first season of hockey in North America, joining the Chicago Blackhawks… Led the team in goals with 23… Ranked tied for first among Blackhawks skaters in power-play goals (10) and led the team in game-winning goals (3)… Among NHL rookies, ranked third in goals (23), tied for fifth in assists (21), third in points (44), tied for first in power-play goals (10), tied for second in power-play points (17), third in shots (174) and third in shooting percentage (13.2%)… Was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for March after tallying 16 points (8g, 8a) in 15 games… His 16 points in March were the most by any NHL rookie in a single month during the 2003-04 season… Notched 39 points (21g, 18a) in the final 46 games of the season… Was one of four Blackhawks to play in all 82 games… Represented Chicago and the Western Conference at the 2003 NHL YoungStars Game during All-Star Weekend… Made his NHL debut vs. MIN (10/8)… Scored his first NHL goal/point, beating Chris Mason vs. NSH (10/19)… Earned his first NHL assist vs. CGY (11/12)… Earned his first NHL multi-goal game with a pair of goals at CGY (1/30)… Had three points in a game three times (2/19 at SJ, 2/25 at CBJ, 3/11 at NJ).

2004-05: Appeared in six games for Finland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, tallying three points (1g, 2a)… Did not play professionally during the season.

2005-06: Appeared in only 15 games due to back and ankle injuries, registering five points (2g, 3a) and 31 penalty minutes… Missed 25 games with a sore back and 37 games with a partially-severed tendon in his ankle, suffered vs. NSH (1/8).

2006-07: Appeared in 71 games, recording 38 points (17g, 21a)… Led the Blackhawks with 156 hits… Suffered a sprained knee during a preseason game at CBJ (9/22) and missed the first 10 games of the regular season… Played his 100th NHL game and scored Chicago’s only goal vs. NJ (11/9).

2007-08: Split the season between Chicago and Carolina, as the Hurricanes acquired him at the trading deadline in exchange for Andrew Ladd… Had four goals and seven assists (11 points) in 17 games with Carolina after being acquired from the Blackhawks… Was second on the team in hits (171) and tied for third among Hurricanes forwards in plus/minus (+4)… Prior to the trade, had six goals and 15 assists (21 points) and 75 penalty minutes in 60 games played with Chicago… Earned his 100th career NHL point with a goal vs. LA (12/12)… Played his 200th career game at OTT (12/22)… Made his Hurricanes debut vs. NJ (2/26), earning an assist and leaving the game in the third with facial lacerations for which he received approximately 40 stitches… Scored his first goal with the Hurricanes and assisted on Staal’s goal vs. TB (3/1).

2008-09: Established his career high in goals (26)… Ranked second among Hurricanes in goals (26) and third in points (54)… Was second on the team in power-play goals (10)… Led the team in penalty minutes (79)… Led all Hurricanes and ranked 10th in the NHL in hits (228)… Was selected by the Carolina media as the winner of the 2008-09 “Good Guy Award,” given for cooperation with the local media… Established a new career high for points in a game with five (2g, 3a) at TB (3/7)… Completed his first NHL playoff season, skating in 16 of Carolina’s 18 postseason contests… Ranked fourth on the team in hits in the playoffs (54)… Made his NHL playoff debut in Game 1 at NJ (4/15)… Assisted on Staal’s goal for his first career playoff point in Game 4 vs. NJ (4/21)… Scored his first career playoff goal in Game 7 vs. NJ (4/28)… Assisted onJokinen’s overtime game winner in Game 3 vs. BOS (5/6).

2009-10: Ranked tied for fifth among Hurricanes in goals (14) and second in hits (156) despite missing 28 games due to injury or suspension… Played in his 100th game with the Hurricanes and earned his first points of the season with a goal and an assist vs. FLA (10/9)… Had a goal and an assist and was assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct at COL (10/23)… Was suspended for three games (10/24-10/31) for a hit on Darcy Tucker at COL (10/23)… Established a new career-high with four assists and scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout vs. TOR (11/19)… Earned his first career hat trick with three goals on four shots and was (+2) vs. DA L (12/16)… Returned to action on Tuomo Ruutu bobblehead night after missing 15 games and netted an empty-net goal vs. FLA (2/9)… Earned his 200th career NHL point with an assist vs. BUF (2/11)… Earned an assist vs. BOS (3/16) for his 100th point with the Hurricanes… Had season-ending surgery on 3/25.

2010-11: Established new career highs in points (57) and assists (38) in a season… Ranked second among Hurricanes skaters in assists (38) and third in points (57)… Led the Hurricanes and ranked second in the NHL in hits (309)… Played in all 82 games of the season for the first time since his rookie year in 2003-04… Netted his first goal of the season vs. MIN (10/8) in the second game of the 2010 NHL Premiere in his home country of Finland… Scored his 100th career NHL goal and added an assist vs. WSH (12/26)… Had a four-point game with a goal and three assists vs. NJ (1/1)… Played in his 200th game with the Hurricanes at NYI (1/26)… Set a new career high with his 29th assist vs. ATL (2/5)… Had 10 points (2g, 8a) and was (+5) in the season’s final 11 games.

2011-12: Was fourth on the team in goals (18) and fifth in points (34)… Led all Hurricanes skaters in hits (151) despite missing 10 games due to injury… Earned his 100th Hurricanes assist vs. NYR (12/1)… Extended his point streak to a career-high six games and scored a goal for his career-best fourth consecutive game at PIT (12/27)… Played in his 500th NHL game at TB (12/31)… Played in his 300th career Hurricanes game vs. WPG (3/30)… Scored the gamewinning, power-play goal at OTT (4/3)… Games missed due to injury: 10 (upper body: 2/17-3/7)

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